Syracuse climate
Syracuse (New York, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C49 °F, and about 1,110 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Syracuse climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −130 | −818 | −424 | 712.8 | 29 |
| Feb | 032 | −818 | −425 | 692.7 | 27 |
| Mar | 541 | −425 | 133 | 763.0 | 25 |
| Apr | 1355 | 236 | 846 | 903.6 | 12 |
| May | 2069 | 948 | 1559 | 953.8 | 1 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1458 | 2068 | 1084.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 2983 | 1864 | 2373 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 1762 | 2272 | 1014.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1660 | 644 | 1152 | 1194.7 | 3 |
| Nov | 847 | 133 | 540 | 833.3 | 16 |
| Dec | 235 | −424 | −130 | 933.7 | 27 |
| Year | 2983 | −818 | 949 | 1,11044 | 140 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92% | 86% | 1.3 | 9:20 |
| Feb | 91% | 82% | 2.0 | 10:28 |
| Mar | 86% | 79% | 3.3 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 79% | 82% | 4.5 | 13:21 |
| May | 77% | 85% | 5.5 | 14:38 |
| Jun | 75% | 83% | 5.9 | 15:21 |
| Jul | 71% | 78% | 6.0 | 15:03 |
| Aug | 71% | 75% | 5.3 | 13:56 |
| Sep | 73% | 69% | 4.2 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 79% | 77% | 2.5 | 10:57 |
| Nov | 84% | 78% | 1.6 | 9:39 |
| Dec | 90% | 86% | 1.0 | 9:01 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Syracuse is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C83 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −1 °C30 °F and lows −8 °C18 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.5 °C49.5 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,110 mm44 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (119 mm4.7 in), the driest is February (69 mm2.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 71% in August to 92% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 69%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (1 mph) in June to 6 km/h (4 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Syracuse
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 20 °C69 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 95 mm3.8 in to 108 mm4.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C30 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Syracuse
- Winter (December–February) — highs −130 to 2 °C35 °F, lows −818 to −4 °C24 °F, about 78 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 541 to 20 °C69 °F, lows −425 to 9 °C48 °F, about 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2577 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 1458 to 18 °C64 °F, about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 847 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 133 to 13 °C55 °F, about 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Syracuse compares
Compared with Rochester, about 120 km to the west, Syracuse has practically the same average temperature and receives 17% more precipitation (1,110 mm44 in vs 948 mm37 in). The difference is largest in May (0.6 °C1.1 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Syracuse is the 204th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 91st wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Windsor (Canada, Dfa), Brantford (Canada, Dfa) and St. Catharines (Canada, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Rochester 120 km · 9 °C49 °F · 948 mm37 in
- Kingston 134 km · 9 °C48 °F · 942 mm37 in
- Albany 200 km · 10 °C49 °F · 1,197 mm47 in
- Wilkes-Barre 202 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,214 mm48 in
- Buffalo 223 km · 9 °C49 °F · 947 mm37 in
- Oshawa 238 km · 9 °C47 °F · 719 mm28 in
- Ajax 249 km · 9 °C48 °F · 719 mm28 in
- St. Catharines 252 km · 10 °C50 °F · 872 mm34 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Syracuse?
July is the warmest month in Syracuse, with an average high of 29 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Syracuse?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -1 °C (30 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (18 °F).
When does it rain the most in Syracuse?
October is the wettest month with about 119 mm (4.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 69 mm (2.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Syracuse?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 222 m, while Syracuse lies at about 121 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.